Madame Butterfly
by kiltykat
Summary: I don't remember when everything went wrong... and I don't remember why it happened. All I know is it started with her and her damn 'Madame Butterfly'...
1. Chapter 1

**:Warning:** _Bad grammar up ahead... not using Microsoft Word yet... you've been warned!  
_  
Hey guys! Meet my newest fic 'Madame Butterfly' I need to know rather it should be canceled or if I should continue... so review! Here it is!

* * *

**Chapter One**

I don't remember when everything went wrong... and I don't remember why it happened. All I know is it started with her and her damn _'Madame Butterfly'... _

_I am unaffected by time, some might call it immortality, but I, Sesshoumaru call it hell. Fate was a cruel thing, to make you live forever, while everything around you crumbles... That is my fate, perhaps I could be freed from it, but suicide is a cowards way out, and my pride is too large to let another kill me. I have but no one else to tell this to, journals are not private enough and can easily be used against one such as myself, and I trust nobody else... So listen carefully..._

"Damnit!"  
The voice rang clear in the wide open spaces of the empty field, the 'twang' of breaking vines and the thump that followed could only be from one person... Kagome Higurashi...  
The clouds rumbled in their welcome giving promise of much needed relief from the heat that summer had bared upon them. Her yellow back-pack stuffed to the brim with unneccesary objects weighed heavily upon her shoulders, and she had to try three times unsuccesfully before finally succeeding in getting out of the cursed well. As she stumbled out on to the cool grass she sent a scathing glare over her shoulder to the silent wooden menace...

'Stupid well... always causing problems...'

She struggled to get to her feet, fighting balance with her heavy yellow contraption... Sometimes she really wondered how she carried it... Suddenly, as another rumble filled the humid, sticky air, a frown pasted itself upon the young girls face.

She stood in the middle of that empty field looking around her for some time before shrugging her shoulders and heading off towards the village that had become a second home to her, surrounded by people she called her family... She trampled her way along the path, that she knew by heart, blissfully unaware of the preadtory eyes gazing at her from the shadow's...

'I wonder where Inuyasha is... I mean usually he's yelling in my face as soon as I return!'

A look of sudden realization hit her in the face and her eyes became heavy with tears...

'He's not here, because he's with Kikyo...'

She furiously wiped her eyes and berated herself for being so weak. Countless amounts of tears had be wasted upon him and she was tired of it... but she couldn't help but love him. He was her everything, her hero, her breath, the very beat of her heart... but as the hollow thumps beat against her small delicate hand, more tears filled her troubled eyes. Sucking in as large an amount of air as she possibly could, she forced a certain silver-haired hanyou out of her mind, and gave more thought on to looking happy to greet her friends. She knew she'd worry them if they caught on to her sadness... and she didn't want to be such a bother all the time. Besides, who's to say Inuyasha was with Kikyo? Another thought whipped her in the face... what if he was hurt? She felt her legs starting to move but her mind wasn't telling them where to go, they just knew...

What if he was hurt from an attack that happened while she was gone? What if... what if he was dead?

Kagome was sprinting as fast as her legs could carry her now, not caring if the stinging of branches whipped at her arms or if her vision blurred from tears that were coursing their way down her reddened cheeks... The village was in sight and she saw her friends, her family, standing outside of Kaede's hut. She saw the worried looks they shot her and she slowed to a stop in front of them...

"Kagome-sama? Is everything alright?"  
Miroku's words cut through... was everything alright? She had to know...

"That's... what... I wanted... to ask... you guys..."

She looked into each confused face as they looked to and from each other...

"Kagome-chan... are you ill?"  
Sango, her sister... always worrying about her. Still not catching her breath Kagome merely shook her head and took deep breaths, sighing when her breathing returned to her...

"Where's Inuaysha?"

She noticed the guilty looks on their faces and in each one she found her answer... and from each face, her heart dropped a little more...

'So he was with Kikyo afterall... all that worrying for nothing...'

Looking down, letting her bangs shield her eyes she said, "Oh, I see... It's just, I was worried something might have happened to him, since he wasn't at the well to greet me you know? But it's okay, really... at least he's safe."

She nearly cried out when she felt Sango wrap her arms around her fiercly, the sting of tears once again blurring her vision... but when she felt the wetness on her back, her worry for her sister engulfed her own sadness. She was so selfish, caring for her own needs when here Sango was obviously troubled about something... most likely Kohaku... She returned Sango's embrace and rubbed soothing circles on her back.

"Shh... Sango, whatever it is we'll make it through together huh? Cheer up, please? For me?"

Noticing the tears only came more frequently Kagome began to panic...

"Sango! Please don't cry! Whatever it is I'm here to help you with it! I'm here for you sister!"

She felt Sango grasp onto the back of her shirt and barely heard Sango's harsh whisper of, "I hate him..."

Kagome frowned... was she talking about Naraku? If not him, then who?

"Naraku?" Kagome questioned gently, only to be met with a soft laughter...

"Kagome... you are too forgiving. It'll be your downfall one day..."

Few words, but they spoke volumes... enough to fill a thousand books... She knew now... Sango hated Inuyasha... the question was, why?

Stopping the rubbing she pulled away from Sango, giving her a questioning look.

"Why?"

She looked at Sango's shocked face and tried to think of anything, any reason why Sango would hate him... Anger bubbled in her chest when she thought that maybe, possibly, something had happened while she wasn't there. She wasn't there to comfort her sister.

"Did he say something to you? Because if he did I swear i'll 'sit' him all the way to-"

"Why don't you hate him Kagome?"

A gentle look of understanding floated across Kagome's face... ahh, so that's why huh?

"Sango..." Kagome began gently, "However much I might not like him going to her, I can't stop his heart..."

"But Kagome..." Kagome raised her hand for silence and started again.

"To do so would be selfish, and I don't want to make him unhappy..." She felt the lump in her throat trying to make her quit talking, and tears blurred her vision, but she continued... "I always want him to smile and be happy, and if Kikyo make's that happen then, i'm happy."

Kagome knew that was only a half-truth... but, to say otherwise was mean... She watched Sango's shoulder's slump and the defeated look scetch it's ways into her features...

"But why Kagome? Why does him choosing her make you happy?"

Kagome sighed and gently embraced Sango again and whipped a piece of hair behind her ear... placing her hands in her lap and looking away, towards the blackened sky, threatning the village with summer rain she whispered, "Because I love him..."

And as she looked back at Sango, her sister, her friend... She met her tears with a smile...

_And it would seem, that life wasn't so confusing anymore..._

* * *

Hey guys! Sorry about the spelling and grammar, I'll fix it later! Tell me what you think! 


	2. Chapter 2

:**Warning**: Still bad spelling and grammar up ahead!

Hey guys! I hope you liked the last chapter! Here's the second! Enjoy!

-Kiltykat

* * *

**Chapter Two**

Inuyasha bounded into the scene just to see Sango grab onto Kagome in a tight embrace, a sister's embrace... with his superior hearing he heard Kagome take in a deep breath, and smelt the salty tears that pricked her eyes. That wasn't unusual, she was a very emotional person, not that it was bad or anything... but what surprised him, was Sango's tears... she didn't usually cry, unless it had something to do with Kohaku, the twist of fear sprung in his gut. Had something happened while he was out? Suddenly, the smell of Kagome's tears stopped and he watched as a pained look crossed her face and she rubbed Sango's back in a soothing matter... He listened as she gently said, "Shh... Sango, whatever it is we'll make it through together huh? Cheer up, please? For me?"

He smiled, that was Kagome, ALWAYS ready to cheer you up. No matter what... That's why she was his best friend! He smelt the panic in her normally pleasant scent when he noticed Sango's tears only increased after she said that. Suddenly he frowned... why would she cry harder?

"Sango! Please don't cry! Whatever it is I'm here to help you with it! I'm here for you sister!" Kagome had said this last part in near desperation, begging Sango to stop crying. He knew it hurt her that she wasn't comforting her sister... His eyebrows rose when sango whispered, "I hate him..."

Did she mean Naraku? Inuayasha smirked, who didn't hate him? Apparently Kagome thought this too because she stilled and gently said, "Naraku?" The soft laughter floating in his ears sent chills up his spine... so it wasn't Naraku? Then... who? Who could she possibly hate? He was very much so in to their conversation now, his ears twitching furiously to and fro trying his hardest to hear every breath, every beat of their hearts... His blood chilled when he heard Sango say, "Kagome... you are too forgiving. It'll be your downfall one day..." He heard Kagome's heart slow and her breathing hitch. They both realized who she was talking about, and he wondered if he wasn't the only one who knew why. He watched Kagome's hand slow to a stop and a dull pain flashed through her normally happy-go-lucky eyes as she pulled back on Sango and gave her a questioning look.

"Why?" Kagome had whispered. Yes, he too would like to know why Sango hated him, although he pretty much knew. He watched as Kagome's face broke apart in sudden anger and his ears automatically flattened to his skull. That was the look she got when she was mad at him... what had he done?

'You know what you've done...'

He smelt the guilt flooding his senses, and she had angrily said, "Did he say something to you? Because if he did I swear i'll 'sit' him all the way to-"

He crashed into the ground and prayed to the Kami's that they didn't hear it... it wouldn't do good to let them know that he had been spying... as soon as the spell wore off he jumped up again and ducked behind the bush he had unconciously been hiding behind... He heard Sango say, "Why don't you hate him Kagome?" So she did hate him for that huh? He smelt how confused she was, he too was confused at how forgiving Kagome was... why did she always forgive him? He watched as a look of understanding lit Kagome's face.

"Sango," She had begun, "However much I might not like him going to her, I can't stop his heart..."

Inuyasha's ears flattened as close to his skull as they could, the unwanted punch of guilt crashed over him in waves...

"But Kagome..." Sango had sounded desperate, but was silenced by Kagome's hand... She was so beautiful in that moment, if only it weren't for the pain clouding her eyes... Did she know how much she looked like Kikyo then? But that scared him in a way... He didn't want Kagome to be like Kikyo... His thoughts stopped when she began to speak again...

"To do so would be selfish, and I don't want to make him unhappy..." He heard her sudden pause, and smelt the salt that once again filled the air, but there were no tears falling... "I always want him to smile and be happy, and if Kikyo makes that happen, then i'm happy..."

Never in their entire adventures together had Kagome ever sounded more wise, or more caring and kind. He wished he had met her first... but fate had been unkind... He watched as Sango's face crumpled, taking the brunt of the blow, he watched her shoulder slump in defeat and she said in her last attempt to make Kagome realize how stupid she sounded, "But why Kagome? Why does him choosing her make you happy?"

Inuyasha wondered this too... what was wrong with her? She should hate him! Sometimes he wished she would hate him, he knew how to handle hate... but to have understanding hurt... it hurt deep. He watched in shame as she sighed and embraced Sango in a loose manner and then tucked an onyx piece of hair behind one delicate ear and and then looked towards the darkening sky with her hands in her lap and she whispered, "Because I love him..." She then looked back to Sango, looking into her sister's brown tear-filled eyes and she smiled...

Inuyasha stumbled backwards... he looked around him frantically, suddenly the big open space wasn't big enough. He was never meant to hear that conversation! He had to get out of there, he had to get out now! He needed to think,he needed to hit something, he needed to comfort her, but he didn't know how... No! He couldn't comfort her, then she'd know he was listening, and he could only imagine what she'd do then... He gulped and shivered at the pain in his lower back at the thought of being 'sat' over and over again. Inuyasha looked towards the dark forest and found it to be quite inviting, so he took off in a red blur and bounded towards his favorite tree, his thinking tree... and Kami knows, he had a lot to think about...

* * *

Inuyasha came to the village, soaked to the bone and feeling guilty as hell, he looked to Kaede's hut where Kagome's sat outside, her knees pulled up to her chin, which rested on top. The rain had already soaked her through and he saw her shiver. Another wave of guilt hit him, she had been waiting for him... He slightly wondered what she thought he was doing... and realized whatever she thought, he couldn't blame her for thinking it... Kagome had been nothing but loyal and kind and all he had ever done is run over her for it... He watched Sango stick her head out and look in his direction, sending him a scathing glare, his ears flattened again and he watched as she said something softly to Kagome... he watched Kagome shake her head and whisper something back, giving a slight smile. All of a sudden look she sneezed and laughed when Sango put her hands on her hips and pointed to the inside of the hut. She shook her head and was probably saying something like, "No really! I'm fine, don't worry about me!"

It brought a small smile to his face, even though he was worried about that sneezing. Baka, she probably made herself sick! How long had she been out there huh?

He watched Sango sigh and go back inside the hut. Taking in a deep breath he bounded towards her until he was sitting next to her, his hands folded across his chest.

"How long you been out here huh?"

He watched as she jumped and turned slowly towards him, her blue eyes wide as she studied his face, searching for something anything that would tell her what he was feeling. Inuyasha darted his eyes away, knowing the damn traitors would tell everything... He heard her sigh and whisper as she put her hand on his shoulder.

"I just didn't want you to be alone when you walked inside the hut you know? I wanted to let you know somebody was here..."

Inuyasha felt like a complete ass... why'd she have to be like that? Why couldn't she kick him, scream at him? Why'd she have to be there for him? He didn't deserve it... he deserved to be alone, alone and miserable. Why couldn't he love her? Why couldn't he love her, the way he loved Kikyo. Kami knows nobody deserved it more than Kagome, and it hurt that he couldn't love her like that... He noticed the fallen look on her face and cleared his throat, he wasn't good at these kind of things, so hell... might as well get it over with quickly...

"Th... shit... um, thanks Kagome... and sorry."

He watched her tilt her head to the side and say, "Sorry? For what?"

He searched her face to see if she was mocking him, but all he saw was complete innocence. He decided it was time to push down his damn pride and apologize...

"You know..." He mumbled, "for not being there when you first got here... I was... busy."

He watched as she nodded slowly, the pain and knowing clear through her navy eyes... he felt terrible... he knew he was lying, in a way. And he knew it hurt her, because he was lying, and she knew it. He looked away and said, "Can you forgive me?"

He heard her sigh and stiffened when he felt her loose embrace on his shoulders, she swallowed deep and he knew she was fighting her emotions as she said, "Yeah... sure, I mean what are f-friends fo-" Then she sneezed, so hard she lost her breath. Inuayasha let a worried look settle on his features and said sternly, "Kagome... you shouldn't be out here in the rain. You're human, you can't take it..."

He watched her scrounge up her face and then let it fall. A small smile lit her face and she nodded her head.

"Yeah, you're probably right Inuyasha..."

He stood up and held out his hand, pulling her to her feet. He looked into her blue eyes for a moment and saw the pain she so desperatley tried to hide, he sighed and said, "I'm so sorry Kagome..." With that he pulled her into a tight embrace and ran his claws through her raven hair... he never knew how much that hurt her...

_And through the rain, he never smelt the tears that coursed down her cheeks, and each one contained her heart..._

* * *

So... how do you guys like it? Tell me the truth! Forgive the grammar and spelling, still not using microsoft word yet... i'll fix that tom. (maybe...)  
-Kiltykat   
R&R! 


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys! I'm so glad you like it! So I decided to keep this going! I must warn you though, until I finish Shadow's Waltz, this story will not get as much as attention as it deserves, so you've been warned! On with the chapter!

* * *

**Chapter Three**

I watched from the shadow's, I saw it all. I see all I should say... I've been watching, waiting... for the perfect moment. The moment that will change everything... This woman, Kagome, she interests me... she holds a power to her, she controls others without realizing it. Her beautiful nature attracts them, and her kind soul keeps them to her. She has a hold over everybody she meets...

I watched as she left the contraption that took her away, that well. I remember smirking when the vines broke, and her small human body was sent tumbling to the ground... I don't know why I was watching her, or why I didn't kill her then, but for some reason I just sat back in the shadows and watched, waited... for what I didn't know... I watched as she struggled to get out and as she tumbled out on the cool grass I realized that I was spying on her... for some reason I was spying on her... I watched as she stood up and looked at the clouds, which continued to rumble. There was an electric feel in the air in that moment when she looked in my direction, and for a moment I feared she could see me... but the clouded look in her eyes told me she was thinking...

'Foolish creature...'

I decided then to kill her... no wait! I could use her, take her, and use her to get what I wanted... use her to destroy my brother... all because of this one slip of a girl. Pathetic! I gave that oh so rare smile that Jaken feared so much... yes, it would work. First though, I'd have to gain her trust. No matter how much my pride screamed for it, I'd have to be... nice, to her. But I couldn't just show up, it'd have to be good... And now was a perfect moment... and I would have to, had it not been for her tears...

She had the most pitiful look on her face, and her large blue eyes were filled with salted water, threatening to spill forth from those blue-grey orbs... she clutched her yellow contraption tight and slowed to a stop in the middle of the clearing... What was she thinking of? And suddenly the tangy smell of fear covered her form, was something there? Surely not, I would have sensed it, and nothing would go near the girl when I was within 20 feet of the general area... so why, or really what did she fear? And just as I was about to make myself known, the girl took off running, the smell of salt once again filling the area... I followed and watched as branches and vines struck at her arms causing angry red welts to pop up on her skin, and then I noticed how she seemed not to notice... She was running to the village as if her life depended on it... I smelt the relief in her scent as she saw the smoke rising from the straw huts, and when she spotted her friends... I watched from the treetops as she slowed in front of them, their worry for her evident. So this was her family now eh? interesting...

"Kagome-sama? Is everything alright?"

It was that monk, his name escapes me, which only shows his unimportance... He listened to Kagome's wheezed breaths as she said, "That's... what... I wanted... to ask... you guys..."

I smelt their confusion, and worry... what a sickening combination... the sour smell of confusion and the floral scent of worry... I wondered how it was humans survived as long as they did. Why, their scent alone is enough for me to kill them… But I'm getting off subject. The monk and the exterminator shared a concerned look and then glanced at the still wheezing girl. The exterminator, Sango I believe, stepped forward and said, "Kagome-chan… are you ill?"

Sesshoumaru smirked, another flaw for the humans. It was obvious the girl was not diseased, her smell was too pleasi- it was not diseased and we'll leave it at that. I watched as the girl shook her head and finally ground out, "Where's Inuyasha?" At that my smirk grew into a cruel smile. I knew where he was, and I'd gladly tell her. I had a sinking suspicion that she knew too, and at the guilty looks on their faces, so did her friends… I watched the child as she faced the ground. Not wanting to show her weaknesses… smart girl. Never show your weaknesses, to anybody… Nobody is to be trusted, I learned that long ago… I smelt that soft scent of sadness engulf her… so she did know… I often wondered to myself why sadness was a soft scent and not hard and displeasing to the nose… I still haven't figured it out but I figured one might want to know… Humans were such intriguing creatures… Really they were. So many different emotions, always expressing them in such odd manors. Take the girl, Kagome, for instance, right now she has surrounded herself in despair and yet she tells her friends, "Oh, I see... It's just, I was worried something might have happened to him, since he wasn't at the well to greet me you know? But it's okay, really... at least he's safe."

She doesn't really feel it's okay… so why does she say it is? She is a confusing creature… always putting others before herself. She is so foolish yet… one would be a fool for telling her so. The more I watch their small bizarre group, the more I find myself becoming closer to understanding them… and yet this creature, this Kagome. Every time I think I have her figured out, laying exposed before my eyes, she does something like this and flees from my view. It had become quite frustrating at one point and time, and yet now I find it almost amusing, our game of sorts. If only she knew she were playing… The sharp spike in her scent sent me out of my thoughts, this Sango girl, had gathered the smaller girl in her arms and was giving her what humans call… a hug.

People call me cold, and uncaring. That is not true… in some sense. I just don't understand how a "hug" or a "kiss" can help explain how one feels. How do you express emotion? A slip of the face? A foolish gesture such as those? No, I am not uncaring… I just simply want to find my own way… And I believe, somehow… this girl, this Kagome… she'll help me…

I smelt the faint smell of salt that came from Kagome but they stopped when the other woman, Sango, began nearly weeping. Why was the woman crying? Was it from her damned brother Kohaku? Somehow, I knew it was deeper… it had something to do with her… I listened with half and ear as Kagome tried to cheer Sango up, even though the desperation and worry wasn't nearly as prominent as her sorrow still was… I tuned my ears and nose to my surroundings and glanced sharply to the west as the smell of sunned grass and wet pine invaded my senses, the slight smell of damp earth and rotted bones mixed in with him. I smirked… so the cause of all these problem finally came back hmm? This should be interesting…

I watched the hanyou's face as the girl talked to her 'sister' as she called her. A few choice words caught my attention like, "Hate" and "Love", two words so different and yet, never are they really spoken without the other. I listened as the thunder clapped and Kagome said, "Because I love him." And the look of understanding in her eyes at that moment was deafening… somehow… Inuyasha couldn't take it… what she said, and ran off, obviously to think. And I sat there for hours, even as the first few drops plopped down onto my nose, and the annoying craving to just wiggle them away kept biting at me… I watched as she became soaked to the bone, and the smell of disease floated to my nostrils, and yet still she sat there. Still she sat there as he friends pleaded for her to come inside… begged her to take some cover. And when Inuyasha came, and they talked I was there… When they embraced and she wept on his shoulder from her loss…

_I watched from the shadows, I saw it all…_

* * *

Sorry for the wait guys! I hoped you liked the rest of the chapter! I don't know when I'll be able to work on any of my stories because of school starting soon! So look out for them but don't expect a whole lot!


	4. Chapter 4

Hey guys! I finally got a craving to just write another chapter of this story so here it goes! I hope you like it!

* * *

**Chapter Four**

Kagome awoke the next day to the sound of fading raindrops hitting the rooftop lightly. The melancholy glow to her glistened eyes set her entire mood for the day ahead. She gave a pitiful sigh and closed her eyes in silent pain.

'Inuyasha…'

True… as much as she would deny it, because she knew it would come down to it, it hurt. A lot… The stinging of her lungs proved that. But she was so confused, because… something just, wasn't right. Never before had she actually felt physical pain from this. And right now her arms and legs were killing her! They were stinging so badly, and never before had she heard broken-hearted people saying, "_It hurts so bad, I felt it to my legs…_" No, something was definitely wrong. Pulling the blanket off of her shivering form she glanced down to the small cuts and bruises, that for the life of her, she couldn't figure where they were from. She finally decided they must have been from the way over to the village. She vaguely remembered some stinging pains on the way over. She glanced around at her still sleeping friends and raised an eyebrow. She was usually the last one up so she guessed she must have woken up terribly early because even Inuyasha was asleep. She ran a hand through her hair and scrounged her face up in disgust. Her hair felt disgusting! It was tangled and wet; she figured she must have sweated during the night. She looked over to the sleeping hanyou and sighed.

'Why?'

She had no idea how long she would question his motives, or how long it would hurt. But why Kikyo? Why did it always come down to Kikyo? Was she so terrible that he'd prefer death's flesh? Why was she always just 'Kagome the Shard Detector' and the 'Little Sister'? Wasn't she ever just Kagome? Life had never been fair enough.

'Damn Kikyo!'

Immediately after that Kagome felt the thick heavy feeling of guilt crash upon her. Was she really such a terrible person? Kagome frowned and decided that maybe… maybe things would be a little clearer after she took a bath. So glancing once more around the small hut for any signs of stirring, mainly from Inuyasha, she tiptoed over to her yellow monstrosity and began to pull out everything she needed to enjoy a nice bath. Finally, she'd be able to go somewhere without having to tell Inuyasha where it was! She was pulling the blanket over his eyes as it were.

'Or something like that…' She thought to herself.

Smiling from her sneaky ways. She turned around to head for the door, catching a pair of golden eyes staring at her intently. Kagome squeaked and gave him an innocent smile before laughing nervously.

"Morning Inuyasha…" she said, still making her way towards the door. He reached out and grabbed her arm firmly, whispering, "What… what are you doing?"

Kagome frowned and shook his hand away. She didn't have to answer to him! Sticking her nose in the air she stepped outside into the darkened morning. She nearly fell backwards when she ran into Inuyashas' chest; of course he 'saved' her. She glared at the strangely serious face of Inuyasha and once again shook off his offending appendage from her arm.

"Kagome…" He began again, gritting his teeth, "Where are you going?"

Kagome sniffed in annoyance and pointed to her bath supplies. Of course, he was so dense; he only began tapping his foot in annoyance and tucked his hands into his sleeves in what he thought of as his 'commanding' stance. Kagome nearly giggled at how ridiculous he looked. Kagome merely rolled her eyes and sighed.

"I'm taking a bath… not of course, that it's ANY business of yours."

Inuyasha's mouth set in a firm line and his jaw tightened. He reached his hand out to take her bath supplies saying, "No you're not."

Kagome smacked his hand down and snarled at him saying, "Who do you think you are? I am taking a bath!"

She stuck her nose in the air and moved past him in search for the river. He grabbed her shoulder and spun her around glaring at her and said, "No! It is still dark and the demon's are feasting." Sniffing the air, he sneezed at the heavy smell of copper coming from the forest. When he looked back up Kagome was already headed to the river, determination in her step.

Kagome growled in thought of their irate dog leader who was following behind her, cussing lightly under his breath. She padded along the dewy long grass barefooted enjoyed the feeling of the cool soil beneath her feet. She smiled as the cool blue waters of the river came to sight and she stared at her darkened reflection in he water, dipping her toe in to test it. She shivered as soon as her toe hit the water.

'Oh my! It's freezing!'

She felt the looming presence of Inuyasha and turned around with her hands on her hips.

"Oi! Wench, what'd I tell you?"

Kagome mood darkened as she ground her teeth together she lowly said, "Sit boy!"

She watched in mild satisfaction as Inuyasha crashed to the ground and glared up at her, struggling to move. She felt the whole guilt thing again as she watched him wince as he tried to struggle against the spell. She sighed and plopped down at his side rubbing his ears lightly.

"Inuyasha… please? I really need some time to myself you know? I need to think about some things in my life right now. Can't you understand that?"

Inuyasha's ears flattened to his skull and as soon as the spell wore off he sat up and stared at the girl across from him. She looked so different. So much like Kikyo… so sad. He felt the guilt punching him in the stomach at his last thought. He knew he shouldn't compare her to Kikyo. He looked into her pleading face and said, "But Kagome… what about… what about the demons?"

Kagome laughed lightly, such a hollow sound, and whacked him lightly on the head.

"Baka…" a serious look took over her normally docile face. "Look Inuyasha, I'll call you if I see any. If you don't hear me screaming, it's either because I never saw any, or because they have already torn apart my body."

Inuyasha paled slightly at that last statement of hers and fiercely said, "Kagome! That's not funny!"

Kagome nodded sheepishly and whispered, "I know, Sorry for worrying you…"

Inuyasha glared at her and turned away saying, "Feh, I wasn't worried! I just don't want to have to lose a shard detector! That's all!" Inwardly wincing when he felt how much sadder her aura became. Turning around he glance at her glazed eyes and how unstable she looked. Her face was so flushed!

"Kagome… Kagome are you alright?" Inuyasha said, not bothering to hide the worry etching his voice.

Kagome nodded and said, "Yeah, I think I have a cold though. No big deal!"

She became panicked when Inuyasha stood up and placed his hand on her forehead, and watched as his face transformed into a frown.

"You're burning up! Kagome, you need to take a cool bath, and relax. You're riding Kirara today."

Kagome leaned into his cool and sighed. It felt so good against her heated skin. She nodded her head in agreement. She turned around and began to set her bath supplies down looking at Inuyasha in question. What was he still doing there?

"Yes?"

Inuyasha blushed and turned around, muttering something under his breath before jumping away. Kagome stared after him perplexed before shaking her head and sliding her shirt over her head, feeling the goose bumps settle over her skin. She started to hum as she sat her folded clothes on a nearby rock and decided it would be best to just dive right in. She held her breath, readying herself for the breathless cold that would soon envelop her.

There was a rustling in the bushes to her right and Kagome jumped in on reflex coughing and sputtering from the water, the cold forgotten in the rush. She stared a the bushes waiting for the threat to pop out, mentally scolding herself when she noticed a rabbit hop out and twitch it's small nose in her direction. Kagome shook her head and swam around a little, enjoying the cooling waters relaxing waves. She scrubbed herself, absent mindedly wondering about the feasting demons in the forest…

_Unaware was she of the much more dangerous predator, lurking amongst the trees. Studying her with it's piercing golden eyes…_

* * *

Hey! Did ya'll like it? I hope so! **R&R**! 


	5. Chapter 5

Hey! I have recently decided that this entire story is to be dedicated to **serenity**! Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Five**

Kagome sighed as she sunk down into the cool waters, letting the ripples she created caress her skin. She shivered as a light mist of goose bumps settled on her arms and legs. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath of the fresh clean air she didn't get to experience at home. It was like, a gift to her lungs. Feeling so much more alive, she ignored the feeling of the tickling grass as she settled her back against the rivers bank. Trying to soak in the moment.

'Stupid Inuyasha…'

Grumbling to herself she sunk down to her shoulders and blew tiny bubbles in the water beneath her, before glancing up at the sky. It was so beautiful right now, and the slight bite in the air, letting Kagome know just how quickly fall was quickly approaching them.

'Wow… look at that…'

The sky was an utter mess of stars, all in different sizes and brightness. This was her favorite time of the day… or err… night, morning? The light on the edge of the horizon, bleeding in with the darkness set Kagome at ease. This… all of this, was beautiful.

There were hardly times anymore when she could just be herself. She was always 'Kagome the shard detector' or 'Kagome the friend', never anymore was she Kagome. Just Kagome… nothing attached to the end. She wanted that back so bad she could taste it. Leaning forward, almost as if it was a tangible thing in front of her greedy eyes she reached out and grabbed air. Nothing but air…

Sighing she settled back against the riverbank and just stared at the quickly approaching dawn. She watched as the stars slowly faded away and felt some sort of hollow affection for them. The fog that had settled around her mind earlier had up and left her and she once again had time to think.

She decided, that since the stars were gone, there was no real reason for her to be there, so she stood up and gritted her teeth at the biting chill that encased her and, didn't run per say, but walked extremely quickly towards her towel which she wrapped around herself as if it was some fine piece of silk instead of the cheap Egyptian cotton her mother made sure to pack. Thank God for said cheap piece of cloth though! Glancing down at the rock she had set her things on she gingerly picked up her second towel and began to towel dry her hair, not quite feeling ready to head back yet. So she lie down and watched as the sun made its oh-so-slow march to rise. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply the smell of the sweet tall grass that she was surrounded in. She savored these moments, the moments she could just sit here and think about anything.

'Without having to worry about stupid half-demons…'

Kagome snorted and rolled over so that she could stand up without behaving too indecently. She dusted her bottom off and searched for her particularly tricky clothing. It would seem as though they had 'run off' as her mother would put it. Scratching her slightly damp, and extremely messy, hair she glanced around her raising one eyebrow at the clothes hanging in a tree a couple of feet away from her, fluttering gently in the breeze, taunting her it would seem.

'I didn't put those there…'

Kagome looked around her, panic started to settle in the pit of her stomach when she got that eerie feeling that somebody was watching her. She stumbled back a couple of feet and watched the woods, waiting for something to pop out. As the moments ticked by Kagome felt the unease begin to rise at the claustrophobic feeling surrounding her. She shifted her weight as she took a few agonizingly slow steps backwards. She heard something rustle in the woods and, against her better judgment, took off running back to the village. The scream clawed at her throat but seemingly got caught at her tongue, not quite prepared to make itself present. Kagome felt she was being silly but at the look on Inuyasha's face as he saw a towel-wrapped Kagome bound past him, a look of pure terror on her face, she felt she was being somewhat rational.

'Oh…my…God!'

Kagome hunched over, taking in large gulps of air to her burning protesting lungs. Her throat felt on fire as her legs threatened to collapse beneath her. Suddenly Sango, along with Miroku, and Shippou's faces appeared in front of her, all wearing the same expression. That one they wore whenever they were protecting her. The damn worry rolled off of them in waves. Kagome stood up, and gave a slight cough, due to the unease she felt with their stares, and gave a small sheepish smile.

"Sorry guys… I didn't mean to startle yo-" Kagome stopped, a frown pulling at her thinning lips, her brow pulling together in a most unattractive way.

"Where's Inuyasha?"

Sango gave her a wary look and shook her head slowly, returning to tend to the fire she had started only moments earlier. Miroku gave her a sly grin, and Kagome felt her cheeks flare up as she crossed her arms over her towel-covered chest and glared at him, giving him a silent warning. Miroku merely grinned wider and raised his hands in the air, walking away towards Sango, whose bottom was raised slightly, causing his eyebrow to twitch oh so familiarly. Shippou on the other hand, jumping onto her shoulder began to frantically search her for any signs of injury or imperfections to her skin. Kagome smiled gently and plucked the young fox kit off her shoulder and squeezed him gently before placing him down at her feet. Looking around she asked again, "Where is Inuyasha?"

Sango smirked at her, causing Kagome to raise an eyebrow.

"You know, when you come running here like a bat out of hell, suspicions tend to rise… as well as his immediate worry something had happened to you. He's probably down at the river, staring at your discarded bath items, which I noticed you came back without, cursing to himself."

Kagome rubbed one arm sheepishly and blushed lightly, staring at her toes that she wiggled for her own amusement.

"Well… when you put it like that, I guess it does seem kind of obvious."

Sango nodded absently as she tended to the small flame. Shippou ran and gathered the necessary things from Kagome's bag for breakfast and sat patiently waiting Sango's next order. Miroku sat off under a large oak tree, his eyes half lidded as he stared at Sango was gave him a gentle smile. Kagome raised an eyebrow, had they finally discussed their feelings? The small lazy smile that spread across Miroku's face would make that appear to be the case. Kagome sighed and stared at her surroundings. Smoke rose off a few huts, indicating the early risers were up and ready to start their day. And the smell of breakfast cooking caused her stomach to growl rather loudly, which caused Sango to throw her a rather amused look. Kagome playfully glared at her and stuck her tongue out at her but was stopped by a, "What the hell Kagome!"

Kagome slowly turned to an extremely angry Inuyasha who had his arms crossed tightly across his chest, his ears twitching wildly, a trait she found quite endearing, lips thinned and fangs slightly poking out. That of course, Kagome decided with a gulp, was not endearing. Giggling nervously Kagome took a few steps closer to Sango, knowing the girl would protect her from the angry red menace.

"Sorry 'bout that Inuyasha… Heh you see… I thought that I was being-"

"You come up her, running like something was about to turn you inside-out," Inuyasha started, his voice entirely too hoarse for Kagome's liking, "and I go down to see what had you all shook up and guess what I found… go on, guess."

Kagome twiddled her thumbs as she slowly looked up at Inuyasha and smiled slowly, "Um… a blood thirsty demon? Heh, Heh, ooh…" Kagome said as Inuyasha's eyes turned into some mighty fine dangerous slits.

He chuckled lowly, which cause goose bumps to rise on Kagome's spine, "No… here's the big surprise… Are you ready for this?" At Kagome nod he came very close to her and whispered in her ear, "Nothing…"

Kagome looked around for the help of her friends and found Sango mentally suiting up to deal with Inuyasha only for a hand to clamp down on her shoulder in the form of Miroku, who was shaking his head no.

"Um…" Kagome said, licking her lips, nervously staring into Inuyasha's livid eyes. "I'm sorry to have worried you, it's just that I-"

"You just thought you'd scare everybody half to death because you're so afraid of everything right?"

Kagome's eyes widened and Inuyasha immediately realized his folly.

"Kagome I-"

"Save it," Kagome snapped, "I'm going to get my clothes…"

She stormed off leaving a frowning Inuyasha to be scolded by an angry Sango, who rapped his head none to gently, lecturing him on girls and their feelings. Kagome stomped off towards her earlier destination of terror and began gathering up her things, and in the midst off all her ranting about, "stupid hanyou's" she never noticed the clawed hand pulling her shirt into the darkness…

* * *

Ok… that's today's chapter kiddos! Hope you enjoyed it! R&R! 


End file.
